---
title: "Kim Jong Il: member of the Supreme People's Assembly | Save North Korea"
description: Kim Jong Il was a North Korean politician and dictator who was the second supreme leader of North Korea from the death of his father Kim Il Sung in 1994 until h
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---

[People](https://savenorthkorea.org/people) · family · politburo · military

# Kim Jong Il 김정일 

member of the Supreme People's Assembly

dead Died aged 70 

Kim Jong Il was a North Korean politician and dictator who was the second supreme leader of North Korea from the death of his father Kim Il Sung in 1994 until his own death in 2011\. Posthumously, Kim Jong Il was declared an eternal leader of the Workers' Party of Korea. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim%5FJong%5FIl)

Born

1941-02-16, Vyatskoye

Died

2011-12-17, Pyongyang, North Korea (on board special armored train) (myocardial infarction)

Height

Unknown 

Weight

Unknown 

Military rank

Generalissimo

Status as of

2011-12-17[source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim%5FJong%5FIl)

Also known as

Dear Leader, Eternal General Secretary, Yuri Irsenovich Kim

## Family [See in the family tree](https://savenorthkorea.org/kim-family-tree#kim-jong-il) 

- father [Kim Il Sung](https://savenorthkorea.org/people/kim-il-sung) Father, regime founder
- mother [Kim Jong Suk](https://savenorthkorea.org/people/kim-jong-suk) Mother, revolutionary heroine
- spouse [Song Hye Rim](https://savenorthkorea.org/people/song-hye-rim) First major consort, mother of Kim Jong Nam
- spouse [Ko Yong Hui](https://savenorthkorea.org/people/ko-yong-hui) Consort, mother of Kim Jong Chol, Kim Jong Un, and Kim Yo Jong
- spouse [Kim Ok](https://savenorthkorea.org/people/kim-ok) Longtime personal secretary and final consort
- sibling [Kim Kyong Hui](https://savenorthkorea.org/people/kim-kyong-hui) Sister, core inner circle supporter
- KM sibling [Kim Man Il](https://savenorthkorea.org/people/kim-man-il)
- half sibling [Kim Pyong Il](https://savenorthkorea.org/people/kim-pyong-il) Half-brother and succession rival
- child [Kim Jong Nam](https://savenorthkorea.org/people/kim-jong-nam) Eldest son, bypassed and assassinated
- KS child [Kim Sol Song](https://savenorthkorea.org/people/kim-sol-song) Daughter with Kim Yong Suk
- KJ child [Kim Jong Chol](https://savenorthkorea.org/people/kim-jong-chol) Second son, bypassed for leadership
- child [Kim Jong Un](https://savenorthkorea.org/people/kim-jong-un) Third son and chosen successor
- child [Kim Yo Jong](https://savenorthkorea.org/people/kim-yo-jong) Daughter, key regime leader
- uncle [Kim Yong Ju](https://savenorthkorea.org/people/kim-yong-ju)

## Positions

1. 1997–2011 General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea[source](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q10665)
2. 1994–2011 Supreme Leader of North Korea[source](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q10665)
3. ?–now member of the Supreme People's Assembly[source](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q10665)
4. ?–now President of the State Affairs Commission[source](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q10665)
5. ?–now Eternal leaders of North Korea[source](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q10665)

## Health

- Reported Believed to have suffered a stroke in 2008, after which he disappeared from public view for months. Also believed to have had diabetes and heart disease.[CNN, 2011-12](https://www.cnn.com/2011/12/19/health/kim-health-mystery)
- Confirmed State media said he died on 17 December 2011 of an acute myocardial infarction (heart attack) on a train trip.[Wikipedia: Death and state funeral of Kim Jong Il, 2011-12](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death%5Fand%5Fstate%5Ffuneral%5Fof%5FKim%5FJong%5FIl)

## Notable

- 2006-10 Conducted North Korea's first underground nuclear test on October 9, 2006 at Punggye-ri.[source](https://www.armscontrol.org/factsheets/dprkchron)

Machine-readable: [/api/people/kim-jong-il](https://savenorthkorea.org/api/people/kim-jong-il) · [Wikidata Q10665](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q10665) · Photo: [Jesse Charlie / Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kim%5FJong%5Fil%5FPortrait-2.jpg) (CC0)